Center takes family approach to learning

In Waukegan, students and their children get lessons in reading, life

Jeemary Estrada never liked classes, so she dropped out of Waukegan High School during 11th grade.

Now, in a small, windowless classroom in a Waukegan strip mall, the 22-year-old mother of two is trying boost her basic skills so she can get a general education diploma.

In an area right next to the classroom filled with baby toys and games, her 2-year-old daughter, Selena, joyfully sings "The Itsy-Bitsy Spider."

The free child care at the Adult Learning and Technology Center, 2416 Washington St., she said, is a big part of why she wanted to learn here.

"Here there's no excuse. You can't say, `I don't have a baby-sitter,'" she said. "Here, I can see how she's doing, check in on her sometimes."

The Waukegan center is one of three sites operated by the Waukegan Public Library Foundation, the College of Lake County and Literacy Volunteers of Lake County that offer adult basic education courses.

The centers, which are also in North Chicago and Zion, are among the Chicago-area organizations supported by Chicago Tribune Holiday Giving, a campaign of Chicago Tribune Charities, a McCormick Tribune Foundation fund.

Estrada's program offers more than just teaching vocabulary and equations. She's in a family literacy class, which means that while she's catching up on academic skills, she's also learning parenting and life skills, and her daughter is being cared for and provided a preschool education.

"What we're doing is helping parents understand that there's value in becoming their child's first teacher," said Carol Morris, literacy coordinator for the Waukegan Public Library. "If kids are with us a couple of years, they're entering kindergarten ready to learn."

One recent afternoon, Estrada listened intently as Anne Devney, director of the CLC Health Center, gave a presentation about nutrition to six students, all young women. Outside the classroom, Selena took part in a raucous rendition of "Ring Around the Rosie."

"What are--you know--how do you know if you have diabetes?" Estrada asked, raising her pen in the air.

"Oh, the symptoms?" asked her teacher, Jackie Hemlett.

"Yeah, right, I just couldn't remember the word," Estrada said with a smile. Devney explained.

Estrada never spoke up in high school classes. She thought the classes were too big, and she didn't get any of the individual attention she needed to really understand things, she said.

Plus, "there were always these other kids talking about me and messing with me," she said. "It was really hard to learn."

Now, it's different. There are only a half-dozen other students, and her teacher can work with her individually instead of always talking at the group. Her daughter is learning too.

"I've noticed she's sharing a lot more, being more outgoing," Estrada said. "It's so funny--she's singing these songs, and I'm like, `Where did she learn that?' She gets it all from here."

On Thursdays, the parents spend class time reading a book to their children. Afterward, they work together on an art project related to the book, Hemlett said.

Natividad Diaz, a 22-year-old single mom from Waukegan, said she regrets dropping out of high school in 10th grade. She has seen a change in herself since she started coming to class.

"I'm reading better, understanding things better," she said, her arm around her 4-year-old son, Emmanuel. "I don't get embarrassed like I used to, talking to other people."

Hemlett said she sees improvement week to week in the writing and other work of the students who attend class consistently. She also sees their self-esteem growing with every session.

Estrada intends to stick with it, if not for herself, then for Selena and her other child, a 3-month-old girl.

"I want to get my GED because I don't want my daughters to quit school and say, `I did it just because you did,'" she said.